The electronic signage industry incorporates a wide range of design configurations. Each sign utilizes some aspect of lighting incorporated into a frame housing and typically is constructed for is intended environment. For instance certain designs include outdoor billboards and signage utilized in stadiums. These designs are primarily constructed to be very heavy and secure and to project large images without necessarily taking into consideration certain attributes of the projected image such as off-axis viewing. Presently, large scale displays tend to be heavy, expensive, not easily transported and set up, and power hungry.
For interior purposes it is known to utilize typically square modules having LED's and the like which are stacked in various configurations to create the desired design. Such modules are provide by Daktronics of South Dakota and identified as mobile and modular products at www.daktronics.com/productservices/products/video/mobilemodular/pages/default.asp. While suitable for their intended purpose and portable, these modules are intended for use at concerts, auto shows, or sporting events and are large.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,694,444 entitled Electronic Sign having a formed metal cabinet and assigned to Daktronics identifies a metal cabinet for housing a plurality of modules wherein the cabinet and associated support structure for the modules may be rapidly assembled. Such construction also provides for rear access enabling the light modules to be accessed from the rear should maintenance and the like be required. Furthermore, this patent discloses that the respective display modules are attached to a mounting panel as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,055,271 entitled Electronic Display Module having a Four-Point Latching System for Incorporation Into an Electronic Sign and Process. This latching system includes a four-point latching system having gears and actuating arms to position latch arms outwardly over a mounting panel assembly followed by a pivotal latch positioning to rotationally engage the latching arms against the mounting panel assembly to secure the display module to the mounting panel assembly. Such a latching system would be necessary for large scale systems or for hostile ambient environments. However, such a construction does not lend itself to a light weight, or mobile display suitable for indoor purposes. Additionally the cabinets are intended to be matched with other such cabinets in a modular fashion for creating an overall display comprised of multiple cabinets. Such construction of multiple cabinets is incapable of providing a flat planar construction in all planes thereby minimizing distortion of off-axis viewing.
Accordingly, there is a need for a lightweight design which is easy to assemble and is mobile.